West Highland Terrier Skin Problems?
Horseluvr347 asked:
My almost 4 year old West Highland Terrier is having some skin problems. His front and back legs are very inflamed and a bright bright pinkish red color. They’re also very flaky and he bites and licks them constantly. We’ve giving him Iams food for a while but it happened before we switched foods so i don’t think its from that. He doesn’t have fleas and he’s super clean! He’s also scratching his muzzle a lot too. I dont know whats wrong with him please help!!
My almost 4 year old West Highland Terrier is having some skin problems. His front and back legs are very inflamed and a bright bright pinkish red color. They’re also very flaky and he bites and licks them constantly. We’ve giving him Iams food for a while but it happened before we switched foods so i don’t think its from that. He doesn’t have fleas and he’s super clean! He’s also scratching his muzzle a lot too. I dont know whats wrong with him please help!!
P.S. He’s up to date on all his shots and meds (flea, heartguard, etc.)
Ok when you say color, do you mean that redish inflamed color? im talking to Mentallyblonde 
We’re going to schedule an appoitment for the vet like tomorrow too
I would guess it is allergies. I would suggest checking with your vet to be sure though. There are a lot of other things less simple than allergies that it can be. If it is allergies most likely it is food allergies. I know you said you switched foods but what was the other food. Many dogs have allergies to wheat and corn. Iams is full of both. If the other food is as well this could very likely be the cause. Grain free food and see if that helps.
To ease his discomfort give him and oatmeal bath and get some hot spot spray to soothe.
Best of luck. luvexotics
Westies are known for skin allergies which range in severity. A lot of Westies suffer from Atopic Dermititius, where their skin and hair starts to color, they bite/lick/chew their feet/ears/ everywhere. Most of the time this develops between 1 and 3 years of age. Do not worry though as this is only seasonal.
However, there are a number of other things that could be the cause such as worms, mange, food allergies, etc. Your vet can do a skin biopsy to determine the cause.
I have a Female Westie who has allergies, and is allergic to dog shots as well (happens in 1:500 dogs). Your vet will be able to help with such situations.
*The coloring could go either way, red skin or colored fur. All dogs are going to react differently. My dog’s skin gets a pinkish inflamed color and it gets hot, and her hair isn’t as white as it used to be. It kind of has this dirty off white look, but no matter how many baths you give her the color remains. It’s part of the allergies. Mentallyblonde6
Westies are the #1 breed for allergies & skin issues due to poor/bad breeding with popularity rise. Do NOT overbathe & only use a super mild shampoo like Hylyt which is a mild hypo with added omegas to keep coat from drying. The food still needs a better quality preferably one that is grain-free & one of the allergy formulas like the Natural Balance line. Your best bet is to have a skin allergy patch test - not blood/serum as that leads to false positives & go to a dermatologist vet instead of average vet. They have far more knowledge & experience in treating allergies & skin issues. You might want to try spraying feet with a diluted mixture of half water/apple cider vinegar as it is a natural antitfungal, antibacterial & deodorant with healing help. joanplus4dogs